


A Tale Of Two Buddies

by Elektra214xx (orphan_account)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Giant Griffin, Giant Spiders, I felt that needed a tag too. It was all we heard about in the show, M/M, Merlin's endless quest for his destiny, Mouthy Merlin, Teenage boys acting up, prat Arthur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 20:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8298992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Elektra214xx
Summary: Have you heard the tale of the two boys who were fierce rivals but ended up being the very best of friends? I have. Let me tell it to you...





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from a Scrapbook I made for my best friend a long time ago. Enjoy.

**A TALE OF TWO BUDDIES**

Once upon a time, there were two very different boys who lived in a once, great Kingdom known as Camelot. One had blonde hair, golden and radiant like the sun on a warm summer’s day and the other had hair, silky smooth like oil with colour black as night. The blonde boy was named Arthur, the proud son of king Uther Pendragon and sole heir to the throne of Camelot while the other was named Merlin, a humble peasant boy who lived with his mother, Hunith in one of the lower towns of the Kingdom. He was, however, not as simple as he may first appear, because deep inside Merlin was a remarkable power that would change the world for centuries to come.

The lives of these two young boys were forever changed when fate decided to cross their paths and that, my friends, is where our story begins…

 

***        *        *        ***

 

Merlin wiped his brow for the fifth time as he contemplated the logs of wood he’d been chopping for well over an hour. He hated sweaty work but knew he had to, or he and his mum would probably end up frozen in their beds in the soon-to-come winter. He only wished there was a way he could make the work easier, and less sweaty.

He was lifting up his axe to strike the log in front of him when he heard a faint voice call behind him _, **Merlin**_

“What?” Merlin turned around, arms still raised high and searched for the source of the strange voice. There was no one there and the clearing was still as empty as it was when he’d first arrived. He shrugged and turned back to the log. He was about to strike it when he heard the eerie voice again.

_**Merlin…Merlin…**_

He turned around sharply and dropped the axe, knowing it definitely wasn’t his imagination playing tricks on him. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

He took a step forward, glancing right and left, not knowing where the source of the voice was coming from. Suddenly he heard the voice again but this time, he felt it coming from above him. Merlin looked up and promptly fell to the ground, paralysed with shock. Staring down at him from the sky was a sight the poor farm boy had never seen before in his entire 15 years of existence. It was a creature that looked like a giant Lizard but with more beautiful scales and enormous, terrifying wings. Its huge nostrils flared as it breathed and Merlin was shocked to see thick smoke puffing out with each breath.

“What- What’re you?”

The creature loomed closer and Merlin regained himself, shifting backwards with frantic movements to escape the beast.

_**You do not need to run young Merlin, for there is nothing to fear from me**_

Merlin’s eyes bored out of their sockets as he gaped at the creature. “Y-you can speak? H-How is that p-possible?!”

The beast flapped its wings once in a grand gesture and landed on the ground. “I can do many things, speaking is one of them.”

Merlin paused in his movements, more amazed and curious about the mystical creature than terrified. “You called me by my name? How did you know my name?! I’m certain I’ve never met a creature like you before.”

The beast gave a sound that sounded like a snort to Merlin and replied _, **Oh, I have known about you, young warlock, since before you were born. I have waited for this day for many years and as a reward, my patience has paid off**_

Merlin didn’t understand what the creature was going on about. How can anyone know someone before they were even born? Merlin was more interested in figuring out why there were suddenly giant lizards who were able to fly.

 _**How tiny you are for such a great destiny**_ The beast continued, giving Merlin an almost fond look.

Merlin got to his feet abruptly. “Please tell me who or what you are?”

The creature lowered its head in a respectful bow. _**I am called Kilgharrah, a relic of the old religion and the last living dragon**_

Merlin stared at it in awe, “A-A DRAGON?! A real dragon. I thought the dragons were all dead?”

 _**No Merlin. There was a time when dragons existed peacefully amongst humans. A time when magic was accepted and we were revered, but the greed of many men who sought to claim more power destroyed the balance and my kind were hunted, used and killed*_ * Kilgharrah’s head dropped in bitterness.

Merlin took bold steps and reached out to caress the edge of a wing. “I’m sorry for what happened to the other dragons, but magic and everything that has to do with it, have long been banned in Camelot. It doesn’t exist anymore.”

 _**There will always be magic in this world no matter how frail it might be. My time may soon be at an end but yours has only just begun**_ It breathed deeply and Merlin only then noticed that the dragon had a wound, deep and round, on its chest.

“Oh no, you’re hurt! What happened to you? Can I help? Do you need medicine? My mother’s a healer. I’m sure I can find herbs at home that can help close up the wound.” He looked up eagerly for an answer.

_**Even though magic has been exiled there are those who still seek to find and control it. But do not worry for me Merlin, I have lived for over a thousand years and have spent this last decade waiting for you to be born, for I need you for a very important task that only you can help fulfil. A task that will lead you to the path of your great destiny**_

“M-My great destiny? But I’m just a farm boy, what great destiny can a boy like me have?”

 _**Do not look down on your gifts, young warlock. Your destiny is the brightest of all that have come before you, you are the very embodiment of magic itself and a dragonlord, my kin. This is why I must give you this**_ One of the dragon’s wing stretched forward and a very large gold egg was revealed. Merlin reached up and collected it, feeling its warmth and a jolt travelled up his spine.

“Kilgharrah, I can hear breathing! I can feel a heart beating! Is this…what is this?”

_**What you are holding Merlin, is the egg of a dragon. The last one in this world. You must take it to druids, the faithful ones who still serve the old religion. They will ensure its growth and safety and teach you how to use and master your powers. If you do this, young warlock, you will restore the balance of magic in this world and the dragon clan will live again**_

Merlin couldn’t believe anything the creature was saying. There was no way he was some powerful warlock and related to the dragons no less. As far as he was concerned, Kilgharrah was making a big mistake.

“Why not give it to the druids yourself. I know you’re wounded, but surely you would have had a lot more success getting it to them than I possibly can. Why waste your strength bringing it here?”

_**Because you are my kin and they are not. Dragons cannot be spoken to or controlled by anyone who isn’t a dragonlord. You must do this Merlin. This egg cannot fall into the hands of the wrong people. In their bid for more power, they will use it to bring catastrophe and suffering**_

Merlin studied the egg in his hands. He’d listened to stories growing up about the Great War that had taken place a long time ago. They were dark times and kingdoms had almost destroyed each other using dragons and magic, burning whole towns to the ground. It wasn’t only until the first Pendragon took over the seat of Camelot that the wars finally ended. However, victory came at a devastating cost. To stop the other kingdoms from rebelling against them, the king had ordered all known sorcerers and people who practised magic to be killed. While this eliminated many dark wizards and witches, a lot of innocent lives were lost and magic became banned in all the lands. The few who had survived, now known as the druids, fled to an unknown place and have lived in exile ever since. There was no way he had magic and even if he was supposed to be this great warlock, he had no idea how to find druids. He looked up at the dragon,

“But, where am I supposed to find them? No one has seen the druids since the great war.”

_**You must go to the lake of Avalon. Beyond it is an island known as the isle of the blessed. It is protected by magic and only the ones with magic in them can find it**_

“The lake of Avalon? Isn’t it just a myth?”

_**People have said the same for dragons and yet, here I stand before you**_

Merlin looked at the egg again in his grasp. It was glowing now and he could feel it pulsing gently beneath his fingers.

“But, but what if I fail?” a sad look clouded his features and he shrunk in a little as though he’d been given something heavy to carry.

A loud but strained sound that sounded oddly like a chuckle left Kilgarrah. _**I never thought in my lifetime, that I would see a human so filled with power, underrate his own abilities**_ He stretched out his wings and Merlin gave a yelp and shifted as the dragon flapped his wings once and took to the air.

Kilgharrah looked down at the frightened boy, _**The time has come for me to leave and for you to begin your journey. Find the druids young warlock, save the dragons and in doing so, discover the other side of your coin and fulfil your destiny**_ The giant dragon turned from him, flapping its wings even more and started flying away.

Merlin tried to run after it. “The other side of my coin?  Wait…wait I don’t understand what you mean…”

The voiced of the dragon echoed as he disappeared into the horizon. _**One day you will**_

Merlin stared helplessly at the sky then at the egg. The whole experience was like a dream, but the egg was still here, pulsing and glowing. Merlin was at a loss. He didn’t know where to start, what to do. Should he tell his mother? No, he couldn’t do that. Hunith worried so much about him already. Telling her would only make things terribly worse. He was so confused and helpless. But if everything Kilgharrah had told him was the truth, he needed to act fast. He dropped down and sat on the ground. The grass, brown and dry beneath him and evaluated his thoughts.

“I am…a warlock. I-I have magic” Even saying it loud didn’t convince him and Merlin wondered how the dragon could have possibly thought that he did. But then certain memories started flooding his mind. The unexplained events that had happened around him that no one could understand. Like the one time when he had stopped a fire from destroying the village by wishing it away with thoughts alone, or that time he had saved a friend from drowning by wishing him back on land. One minute, Will had been struggling frantically in the river and in the next, he was wheezing and coughing out water right next to Merlin on perfectly solid ground. There were many more instances and Merlin couldn’t help but wonder if his magic had been responsible for all those impossible feats at the time they had occurred.

He looked up at the sky again. “I don’t know anything about this but I’m sure going to find out.” He clambered up to his feet and began walking back home, completely forgetting about the logs he’d been chopping.

 

 

Three days later, Merlin was ready to set off for his great, if a little overwhelming, journey. He’d told his mum he was going to visit his uncle Gaius, who lived in the capital. As expected, she had cried and fussed over him, arranging his clothes, camp materials and packing his favourite meals for him, but not without giving him sound instructions to ‘ _be careful’_ and ‘ _don’t talk to strangers on your way’_ that made Merlin roll his eyes. He’d hidden the egg under his bed when he’d returned home after the incident and during that time, he’d made his mind up about finding the druids. There were so many things that still puzzled him but he felt he would get his answers once he left.

So that bright morning, he picked up his travel sack with the egg safely hidden in it, and said his goodbyes to his mum and his friends. He left his village, a nervous anticipation for his unexpected adventure budding within him, and wondered what the future had in store for him.

                                                                                         

                                                                                                         ***        *        *        ***

 

Several miles away, in an exquisite looking chamber in the royal castle of Camelot, another boy with golden blonde hair and the poised air of a noble-born, was rounding up with his own travel bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He grinned to himself as he dodged his way through the guards and sneaked out of the Castle in search of his own adventure.


End file.
